Use common sense to escape from fire mishaps, says fire officer

Common man should not completely depend on fire service, but should know the basic skills and common sense to escape from fire hazards.

Else, one or the other day it would end up with some fire accident causing troubles to the person and also to others, said Chief Fire Officer H S Varadarajan.

Speaking at a seminar on fire fighting organised by Mangalore Productivity Council at SDM Law College here on Thursday, Varadarajan said that fire is a chemical reaction between combustible material, Oxygen and heat.

It can be doused by breaking this chain.

Usually more than fire, the by-products of the fire kill more people.

When fire spreads, one can’t see things, breathing becomes difficult and it creates panic.

One should be calm during the fire mishaps and sound the warning.

One should tie a handkerchief around the nose and crawl to escape from the fire and smoke. Never use lifts during fire tragedy, he said.

“To control fire, one has to remove combustible materials near fire.

We can also control it  by pouring water. But, water can not be used in the case of fire mishap due to electricity malfunction, oil or by some metals.

Some metals explode if water is poured. In such cases, use foam, carbon dioxide or dry chemical powder.

Oxygen supply can be stopped through simple methods like rolling with a cloth (if it is a person), or beating with leaves or other things,” he said.

Varadarajan explained how the irresponsible behaviour of people ends up in fire accident causing loss of life and property.

Electrical overloading, lose connections, damaged installation, smoking, negligence of electricity maintenance rooms in apartments, negligence in using fuse, he listed out.

Most of the time, electricity causes fire, especially poor maintenance results in accidents.

The Fire Officer said that LPG cylinder can be a bomb if it is not used properly.

When LPG leaks, one should open the doors and window panes and should not use electricity switches, mobiles or any other things which may cause fire.

LPG cylinders should not be dragged or rolled, as, if there is any leakage, a spark may cause a blast. It is better not to smoke in auto rickshaws and cars having LPG cylinders, he said.

Demonstration

Later, the fire brigade personnel demonstrated fire extinguishing methods using various equipment. Fire servicemen doused fire using water, foam, carbon dioxide and with an instrument which can be used to douse both for electric and oil fire.

The demonstration with various fire extinguishing water jets attracted the onlookers.

Varadarajan said that the Mangalore fire service unit is expecting an advanced aerial platform of a capacity of 32 metres. 

Karnataka Bank Limited Chief Security Officer K S Ponnappa also spoke on the occasion.

Mangalore Productivity Council President U Rama Rao, Secretary P B Saralaya and others were present.